Two School Board members said the deputy superintendent's proposed demotion is not a stiff enough penalty for failing to head off his underling's alleged theft of district money.

The School Board on Tuesday discussed interim Superintendent Joseph Burke's recommendations on disciplining employees faulted in an investigator's report, but postponed voting on it until the Sept. 22 meeting.

Under the plan, Deputy Superintendent Mike Henriquez would be demoted and have his $124,881 annual salary cut. Burke has proposed the new job title of assistant superintendent of curriculum, instruction and accountability; however, he has not proposed a new salary or outlined the duties of that position.

Board members John Dick and Steve Pribramsky said that's too lenient, considering Henriquez in 2006 failed to detect Monique Acevedo's alleged misspending of a $250,000 federal grant for the Even Start program, which helped only one family in Monroe County.

Receipts show she shopped at CVS, Albertsons, JCPenney and other stores where she allegedly made personal purchases using her school district credit card, they said.

"The money was spent at all the same kinds of places as the allegedly illegal charges," Pribramsky said. "Who was looking at that? Are we going to allow the same people to run the district? I want to make sure we change."

Dick agreed that the buck stopped with Henriquez.

"The Even Start money was used to purchase items at the same non-educational vendors. In January 2006, an outside evaluation wrote a scathing report on the program that it wasn't properly implemented," he said. "The executive team failed us. They could have saved this district hundreds of thousands of dollars if they'd acted on this."

Henriquez angrily defended himself at the meeting Tuesday, saying he was the one who had investigated and ended the Even Start program.

"Did we continue the grant the next year? No," he said. "We looked at all the kids and families, and only one family met the requirements for the program."

Burke backed him, saying, "I understand that Mr. Henriquez did a site visit. Mr. Henriquez acted very proficiently when things were not happening."

Henriquez was in charge of curriculum and other student services before suspended Superintendent Randy Acevedo promoted him to replace Frankie St. James when she retired in fall 2008.

Others in limbo

Burke's disciplinary recommendations for other administrators named in the investigator's report include:

• Purchasing Director Lisa Cherry would be suspended without pay for 10 days starting Oct. 1. Cherry, who earns $75,479, would be demoted to assistant director of purchasing and take a pay cut, but Burke hasn't said by how much or who, if anyone, would replace her. Cherry failed to reject her employees' credit card purchases in excess of $5,000 and failed to check the appropriateness of their purchases, the report says.

• Transportation Director Dori Collins, who earns $90,894, would take a pay cut effective Oct. 1. Collins allegedly forged now-retired Construction Supervisor Chuck Freeman's name on purchase request forms. Not only did she use his district credit card, she also let Monique Acevedo use it as well, reports say.

• Mark Hooper's fate remains in limbo. Burke told board members his status bears "more investigating."

After being blamed in the report, the former Vocational Education coordinator was moved to the Keys Center Academy as a counselor for at-risk youth. The position requires a master's degree level of training, which Hooper doesn't have, but reportedly is working on earning.

The report says Hooper failed to obtain supervisory approval for some of his purchases; allowed Monique Acevedo to enter them into the accounting system; and submitted his receipts 300 days late, among other things. Pribramsky also has complained about Hooper's handling of a Habitat for Humanity project and grant money.

The School Board on Tuesday accepted the resignations of Finance Director Kathy Reitzel and purchase card administrator Linda Walker. Burke had recommended they be allowed to resign or face termination.

Reitzel eventually blew the whistle on the Acevedos, but ultimately was held responsible for catching and reporting Monique Acevedo's alleged theft sooner.

Special visitor

Gov. Charlie Crist made a quick campaign stop at the board meeting about 4:30 p.m., and thanked the board for letting him appoint Burke to serve the rest of Randy Acevedo's term, which ends in 2012.

"I hope it's been going well," Crist said. "We're pleased, if you are."

The governor suspended Acevedo on June 11, the day after a grand jury indicted him, and appointed Burke on Aug. 21.

"We want to thank you for the opportunity to work with you on that," he said, adding that his father was a schools superintendent. "We want to ensure that the children of Monroe County get what they need. ... What you do to improve the lives of young people, [allowing them] to live their dreams, there is nothing more important."

Crist shook hands with each board member and remarked on Marathon High School's building.

"Great school, by the way," Crist said. "I understand it opened up recently and is hurricane proof."

jguerra@keysnews.com